John Tory would
bleed experienced staff away from
the public health system and
lengthen wait times by further
opening up Ontario to private
for-profit clinics, says the Ontario
Public Service Employees Union.
Reacting to Tory’s
recent campaign comments in Toronto,
the union questions how siphoning
more health care professionals into
the private sector is going to help
reduce wait times across the
province.
“There is no army of
health care professionals waiting on
the sidelines,” says OPSEU President
Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “These
clinics would take out of the
hospitals needed health
professionals and lengthen the wait
times -- particularly for more
serious and complex procedures.
That’s a recipe for disaster.”
The union takes
issue with many of Tory’s claims:
Tory says there
would be no out of pocket fees, yet
the same argument was made about
private labs, which now have a list
of about 200 tests which are no
longer covered under OHIP and
require payment from patients.
He says doctors have
extra time to spend in these
clinics, yet new doctors are
increasingly looking at working less
time, not more. Further, by working
both in and out of the public
system, doctors would be encouraged
to funnel patients into more
lucrative practice.
“Why is John Tory so
eager to push us into more
U.S.-style health care delivery?”
asks Thomas. “Hasn’t he seen Michael
Moore’s film Sicko? We’d gladly buy
him a ticket.”
